Taking its turn after a consistent offering yesterday at Christie’s, Phillips held its spring 20th Century Sale at its 30 Berkeley Square this evening, a 30-lot affair that saw a less measured evening by comparison, underscoring the auction house’s continued efforts to compete alongside the auction house giants, and the challenges it still faces in competing against these marquee sales . Scaling its offering back in comparison with full 60-lot offerings at the other sales, the house managed to move its premier works, while occasional struggles in placing lots overshadowed some of its larger successes. The sale saw 5 lots go unsold over the course of the evening, not counting two withdrawn lots, bringing a final tally of £14,660,000.

Miquel Barceló, Muletero (1990), via Phillips

The sale kicked off with a stark red Josef Albers, which saw multiple bidders both in the sale room and online, ultimately pushing the work to over its high estimate and settling at £425,000. The lot was followed by a Yayoi KusamaInfinity Net in the following lot, keeping buyers seeing red as they vied for the artist’s work, which hung at the high estimate for some time before hammering to a final of £605,000. A Yoshitomo Nara in the next lot hammered at the sale’s low estimate, achieving a £1,445,000 final, bringing up another highlight, Rudolf Stingel’sUntitled (Plan B), which sold quickly for a final of £2,949,000. Another Stingel became the first pass of the evening shortly after, while a Christopher Wool print from 1989 just squeaked to its low estimate with a final price of £1,205,000.

Yoshitomo Nara, Missing in Action (2005), via Phillips

The sale’s pace was notably brisk, as sales progressed with little hard competition or contest on many of the evening’s top sales. A Takashi Murakami sold at estimate for a final of £665,000, while a series of passes and withdrawn lots brought the sale quickly to the prime Miquel Barceló work, a highlight of the evening that quickly met estimate and stuck, bringing a £2,949,000 final. An Anish Kapoor was a late pass, setting off a string of passes and even-handed sales that brought the sale to its conclusion. The sale closed on a high note, however, as a Jonas Wood painting doubled estimate to sell for £203,000.

Sales will conclude today with Sotheby’s Post-War and Contemporary Sale.